Eaves trough attaching mechanism



Jan. 20, 1948.

e. c. BASSETT EAVES THOUGH ATTACHING MECHANISM Filed July 15, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet l G/ehnCiBassezz 5 I INVENTOR ATTORNEY Jafi; 20, 1948. G. c. BASSETT 2,434,754

EAVES TROUGH ATTACHING MECHANISM Filed July 15, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 G/enn CI Basset? I N V EN TOR A TTORNE Y Patented Jan. 20, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EAVES THOUGH ATTACHING MECHANISM Glenn C. Bassett, Brighton, N. Y.

Application July 15, 1946, Serial No. 683,727

8 Claims.

This invention relates to an eaves trough attaching mechanism, and has for its principal purpose to afford a structure whereby a series of gutter hangers can be attached to the side wall of a house in such a manner as to insure uniformity of pitch of the gutter and accurate positioning of the hangers so that all are positioned accurately in correct alinement both horizontally and vertically.

The usual practice in attachin gutters is to employ individual hangers, each of which is adjusted and attached to a side wall so as to hold a gutter in the desired alinement, but this practice is objectionable because it depends on the accuracy and care of the workman, and the hangers are frequently spaced varying distances from the supporting wall and are not alined horizontally so as to give a uniform pitch, and a particular object of the invention is to afford a construction that automatically alines the hangers and insures their proper positioning without the necessity of accuracy or care on the part of the operator.

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction that employs a common supporting rai1 for a multiplicity of hangers, so that by fastening the supporting rail at the desired inclination and securing the several hangers to the supporting rail, the rail determines the proper allnement of the hangers and they are all positioned in a given relationship which cannot be varied.

A further purpose of the invention is to afford a structure including a supporting rail and a gutter hanger that is held engaged with the rail by a movable locking element which in turn engages the gutter and is retained in locking posi-- tion by the gutter when the latter is fastened in place in the hanger, as a result of which there is no possibility of the hanger becoming loose from the supporting rail or being displaced until after the gutter is first removed from the hanger.

Another object of the invention is to afford a gutter hanger which is quickly attachable to a supporting rai1 and embodies only two parts, namely, a body portion and a pivoted locking member, that are permanently connected and afl'ord a complete unit, so that when securing the hangers in position on the rail, the operator does not have to assemble, adjust or fasten any parts together before positioning the hanger, thus greatly simplifying the operation and shortening the time required for securing a gutter in place. An additional purpose of the invention is to aiford a simple, economical and practical form of hanger that can be manufactured at a reasonable cost, and is designed in such a way as to impart extreme durability, and maximum strength at the points where a hanger is usually weakest and subjected to the greatest strain.

Still another object of the invention is to afford a locking means of such form that when a hanger is positioned on the supporting rail, it is not likely to be accidentally displaced while positioning the gutter, and when the gutter is in position, its weight and downward pushing action exerts a clamping effect to hold the hanger tightly engaged with the supporting rail through a wedging'action that increases with the weight exerted on the hanger.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts that will appear clearly from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the novel features being pointed out in the claims following the specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a preferred embodiment of the invention, showing a hanger locked to a supporting rail, and a gutter fastened in the hanger;

, Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view showing the supporting rail with hanger attached in front elevation;

Fig. 4 is a plan View of the hanger, partially broken away, showing its inner end with the locking member in open or unlocked position;

Fig. 5 is a view in side elevation of the same;

Fig. 6 is a view in elevation looking toward the top of the locking member as it appears in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view through the hanger and supporting rail, partially broken away, with the locking member in locking position, and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the hanger and locking member in the position shown in Fig. 5.

Referring more particularly to the drawings in which like reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the several views, 5 designates a supporting rai1 having retaining means at its top and bottom edges, preferably in the form of flanges 2 and 3 bent upon the body portion of the rail and arranged in spaced relation thereto, affording top and bottom pockets which are engaged by locking elements on the hangers. The locking elements on. each hanger are preferably in the form of tongues which engage said pockets by a spreading action as they move into locking position so as to be forced against the bottoms of the pockets to hold each hanger in fixed relation to the supporting rail.

The supporting rail I is secured to the side wall, or to the facia board immediately under the eave, by suitable nails, screws, or other fastening devices, and is attached at such an angle as to impart the desired pitch to the gutter. The pitch of the supporting rail determines the relative position both horizontally and vertically of the individual hangers, and the final position of the gutter, so that when all the hangers are attached to the supporting rail and the gutter secured in place, the desired pitch is assured, each hanger being accurately located to give the proper pitch at any given point, and the top of the gutter is at approximately the same elevation as the top of the supporting rail.

It will be understood that any number of in!- dividual hangers can be attached to the supporting rail, each hanger being quickly attachable and held in place by automatic locking means en gaging the pockets of the supporting rail and retained by the gutter, and in order to accomplish this in a simple and effective manner, each hanger includes a body portion having a curved bottom wall 4. The hanger is preferably of channel cross-section and includes side walls which are preferably of uniform width at their outer and bottom portions and wider toward the inner end of the body portion, as indicated at 6, where the greatest strain is imposed on the hanger by the weight of the gutter, and l designates a locking element or tongue provided at the inner end of the body portion and extending upwardly theree from, as shown, to engage the top retaining means or pocket on the supporting wall when the hanger is locked in position.

In order to lock the hanger automatically and maintain it in locked engagement with the supporting rail through the weight of the gutter, ther is provided a pivoted locking member or plate such as shown at 8. The locking plate 8 has side wall 9 which are pivoted at ID to the side walls 5 of the body portion of the hanger, and at a point beneath the longitudinal center of the locking plate for a purpose that will appear presently. At its lower end, the locking plate is provided with a locking element or tongue I I that engages in the bottom pocket of the supporting rail, and when the upper end of the locking plate is actuated toward the supporting rail, the locking tongue H moves downwardly and toward the body portion of the hanger relatively to the locking tongue I, said locking tongues I and II being thus actuated or spread away from each other and forced upwardly and downwardly respectively, into tight engagement with the bot toms of the respective pockets 2 and 3 of the supporting rail.

The body portionof the hanger is provided with a boss or protuberance I2 that is engaged by the adjacent edge I3 of the locking plate, which is yieldable sufiiciently to move over the protuberance i2 and is held thereby in looking Position against accidental displacement prior to positioning the gutter in place. When the gutter is secured in final position on the hanger, it holds the locking plate securely in locked relation to the supp r in rail, and prior to positioning he ut e look ng p ate is not l k ly to e dis: p aced a cident y b cause any accidental c n: t ct th t e upper end of th look ng plate. moves it towa d l o ng pos tion, owing to the relative position of the pivot I0.

The oc in p te is pro ed with flan es. [4 long its side walls, these fl nges engaging the inne edge of the gutter I5 when the latter is n p sition, hile l6 desi nates a dow y b t flang or hook at the upper end or th locking plate nd engageable over the, inner edge I1 or he e e The dy po ion of the ha g is provided at its outer end with a curved or hookshaped extremity I8, which is bent down over the outer edge of the ter y a pliers or other suitable instrument, to hold the gutter securely in the hanger. When so positioned, the gutter acts by its weight and engagement with the lookin plate to hold the hanger in locked relation to the supporting rail, so that it is securely retained against accidental displacement, and cannot be removed until the hook portion I8 is first bent away from engagement with the gutter, whereupon the gutter can be removed, to free the locking plate and release the hanger.

In the operation of fastening a hanger to the supporting rail, assuming that the locking plate is in its unlocked position, as shown in Fig. 4, the upper locking tongue 'I is inserted into the upper pocket 2, and then by placing the lower locking tongue I I against the supporting rail and moving the upper end of the locking plate toward the supporting rail, the lower locking tongue I I is actuated downwardly in relation to the upper locking tongue into the bottom pocket 3, and the two locking tongues are thus spread apart and engage tightly against the bottoms of the re spective pockets to grip the supporting rail tight,

ly. The boss I2, over which the locking plate is moved by a spring or yielding action, holds the locking plate against accidental movement until the gutter is positioned, by inserting its inner edge under the hook or flange I6 of the locking plate and forcing the outer edge of the gutter downwardly past the hook portion I8. The latter, upon being bent inwardly over the outer edge of the gutter, forces the gutter downwardly in close engagement with the curved bottom Wall of the hanger, and the inner edge of the gutter in tight engagement with the looking plate, holding the latter tight in locked position. It will be understood that a multiplicity of hangers are secured to the supporting rail in the manner just described, and the gutter is positioned over several hangers and secured in each hanger in the manner explained, and when once secured in this fashion, the gutter cannot be removed or displaced except by bending the hook portions I8 back away from the adjacent edges of the gutter to free the latter and permit it to be lifted away from the hangers.

With this construction, each hanger comprises only two parts, a body portion and pivoted lockin plate, which are permanently attached by riveting or otherwise, and require no adjusting or preliminary assembly when they are to be secured to a supporting rail. The operator needs only to establish the required inclination or pitch of the gutter, whereupon the supporting rail is fastened in such inclined position and each han er attached to the supporting rail by positioning the locking elements as already described, The gutter is then fastened in place on the several hangers, The two parts constituting the hanger can be stamp d from a m ta bla k for economic manufac ure, and. afford a practical, strong, and durable stru ture which c n be r adily attached and effects a considerable saving in the time re.- ouired .for s curing gutters n'plac hile lusu l accurate and proper posi ionin i he gutters and of each individual hanger in respect th reto.

. While the invention has been described with reference to the particular construction shown, it is not confined o. he i s h rein d scl sed, and this application is intended to cover such modifications or changes as may come within the purposes of the improvements and the scope of the iollowing claims.

I claim:

1. Eaves trough attaching mechanism including a supporting rail having retaining means thereon, a multiplicity of hangers detachably mounted on the rail and each including a body portion engaging said retaining means and having an outer end engaging the outer edge of a utter, and a locking member pivoted to said body portion and having at one end a locking element engaging said retaining means and at its other end a flange engaging the inner edge of the gutter which actuates the locking member to locking position and retains it engaged with the supporting rail.

2. Eaves trough attaching mechanism including a supporting rail having retaining means thereon, a multiplicity of hangers detachably mounted on the rail and each including a body portion engaging said retaining means and having an outer end engaging the outer edge of a gutter, said body portion having a curved bottom wall and side walls, and a locking member pivoted to the inner ends of the side walls of the body portion and engaging said retaining means, the locking member also having a portion engaging over the inner edge of the gutter which acts when secured in position to actuate the pivoted locking member toward the retaining means and maintain it engaged therewith.

3. Eaves trough attaching mechanism including a supporting rail, retaining means in spaced vertical relation on the rail, a multiplicity of hangers detachably mounted on the rail and each including a body portion having at its inner end a locking element engaged with a top retaining means on the rail, a locking member pivoted to said body portion and having at one end a looking element engaged with a bottom retaining means on the rail and at its opposite end a flange positioned above and forwardly of said body portion and engaging over the inner edge of a gutter, which when in position actuates the locking member toward locking position and maintains it engaged with the retaining means, and means at the outer end of the body portion engaging the outer edge of the gutter.

4. Eaves trough attaching mechanism including a supporting rail having top and bottom edges bent upon and in spaced relation to the body of the rail affording retaining pockets, a hanger comprising a curved body portion having at one end a tongue engaging the retaining pocket at the top of said rail, a locking member pivoted to said body portion and having a tongue at one end engaging the retaining pocket at the bottom of the rail, a flange at the opposite end of said locking member positioned above and forwardly of said body portion and engaging over the inner edge of a gutter, which when in position actuates the locking member toward locking position and maintains it engaged with the retaining means, and means at the opposite end of said body portion engaging the outer edge of the gutter.

5. Eaves trough attaching mechanism including a supporting rail having top and bottom edges bent upon and in spaced relation to the body of the rail afiording retaining pockets, a hanger comprising a curved body portion having at one end a locking tongue engaging the retaining pocket at the top of said rail, a locking member pivoted near its lower end to said body portion and having a tongue at one end engaging the bottom retaining pocket and a flange at its opposite end positioned above and forwardly of said body portion and engaging over the inner edge of a gutter,

which when in position actuates the locking member toward locking position and maintains it engaged with the retaining means, and means at the outer end of said body portion engaging the outer edge of the gutter, the downward weight of the gutter acting to force said locking tongue downwardly and upwardly respectively against the bottoms of said retaining pockets.

6. Eaves trough attaching mechanism including a supporting rail having retaining means thereon, a multiplicity of hangers detachably mounted on the rail and each including a body portion of channel cross-section having a curved bottom wall and side walls of increasing width toward the inner end of the body portion, and a locking member having side walls embracing and pivoted to the side walls of the body portion, a locking tongue at the lower end of the locking member acting downwardly when moved to look-- ing position, a locking tongue at the inner end of said body portion, and a gutter engaging flange at the upper end of said pivoted .loCKiIlg member.

7. Eaves trough attaching mechanism including a supporting rail, retaining means in spaced vertical relation on the rail, a multiplicity of hangers detacnably mounted on the rail and each including a body portion having at its inner end a locking member engaged with a top retaining means on the rail, a locKing member pivoted to said body portion and having at one end a looking element engaged with a bottom retaining means on the rail and movable away from said first mentioned locking member when actuated to locking position, and means at the outer end of the body portion engaging the outer edge of a gutter, the latter being moved against said locking member and acting to nold the latter in looking position.

8. Eaves trough attaching mechanism including a supporting rail having retaining means thereon, a multiplicity of hangers detachably mounted on the rail and each including a body portion having a curved bottom wall and side walls, and a locking plate having side walls embracing and pivoted to the side walls of the body portion, the locking plate naving a central opening through which said body portion extends, a. locking tongue at the inner end of the body portion, a locking tongue at the lower end of the locking plate, the latter being pivoted at a point below its longitudinal center whereby movement of the upper end of the locking plate toward the supporting rail effects movement of the lower end of the locking plate and its locking tongue downwardly and toward said body portion into locking position, a flange at the upper end of the locking plate engageable over the inner edge of a gutter, lateral flanges extending from said side walls of the locking plate and engaging the inner edge of the gutter whereby the latter when in position actuates the locking plate toward locking position, and means at the outer end of said body portion engaging the outer edge of the gutter.

GLENN C. BASSETT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

